Edwin h



\No Model.)

E. H. WHITNEY.

UAPSTAN.

Patented Nov. 12, 1889.

ismmiL EDVIN H. WHITNEY,l OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THEAMERICAN SHIP VINDLASS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAPSTAN SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,081,plated. sorember 12, 1889.

`Application filed August 7, 1889. Serial No. 320,038. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern; lar type referred to have been heretofore soBe it known that I, EDWIN H. WHITNEY, a organized that the ratchet andsliding pawl citizen of the United States, residing at Proviby which thecapstan head and barrel are didence, in thecounty of Providence andState rectly coupled could be disconnected or ren- 55 5 of Rhode Island,have invented certain new dered inoperative, and I have now for the anduseful Improvements in Gapstans; and I first time in this variety ofcapstans provided do declare the following to be a full, clear, forpromptly disengaging said head-pawl and exact description of theinvention, such from the ratchet for permittingthe capstanas will enableothers skilled in the art to barrel to promptly revolve backwardly under60 1o which it appertains to make and use thesame, the strain of thehawser, the barrel meantime reference being had to the accompanyingbeing under complete control by way of the drawings, and to thelettersand figures of refinternal gearing, the capstan-head, and its erencemarked thereon, which form a part of bars. this specification. y Afterdescribing my invention as illus- 65 r5 My said improvements relate tosuch captrated in the accompanying drawings, the stans as embody a fixedcentral spindle, a features deemed novel will be duly specifiedcapstan-head, and a ba-rrel, (each independin the several clauses ofclaim hereunto anently rotatable around said spindle,) internal neXed.gearing indirectly connectingv said head and Figure 1 illustrates inhalf-section and 7o zo barrel, whereby the latter may be driven in halfside view a capstan embodying my inone direction when the head isrotated at vcntion in what I deem its best form. Fig. greater speed inthe opposite direction, a 2 is an inverted plan of the capst-an-head andratchet, and a vertically-sliding pawl for diits sleeve or hollow shaft.Figs. 3, 4, and 5 rectly connecting the head and the barrel, so areenlarged views illustrating the ratchet, 75 25 that both may be rotatedin one direction the pawl and its controlling device, and adand at thesame speed, said internal gearing jacent portions of the capstan-headand the then being inoperative. Capstans of this y barrel. Fig. 6illustrates the said' pawl-conparticular class were disclosed in Letterstrolling device detached.` Figs. 7and 8 illus- Patent No. 147,557,February 17, 1874, Reistrate my improvements as applied to a cap- 8o 3osue No. 8,511, December 3, 1878, and more stan otherwise organized andgeared, as

particularly in Patent No. 351,241, October shown in one of the LettersPatent before re- 19, 1886. ferred to, No. 351,241.

lt is well known that in -theuse of ships Referring to Fig. 1, it is tobe understood capstans the hawser or line in service when that t-he baseA and the stationary central 85 35 under surging strain is liable to getfouled spindle ct are as heretofore. The capstanon the capstan-barrelincident to its accihead B has the usual bar-sockets b and a dentaloverriding adjacent coils, and that it pendent sleeve or hollow shaftb', the whole then becomes necessary at times in the use rotatable onthe spindle. The foot of said of such capstans to cut the line foreffecting sleeve is provided with tenons at b2, which 9o 4o a clearance,especially when slackening at occupy mortises in a pinion or gear c,also the opposite end of the line is impracticable. rotative on saidspindle. Below the pinion c The prime object of my invention is toobthere is a rotative disk d,having one or more viate all necessity forcutting a line thus vertically-sliding pawls d', which engage fouled,and in accomplishing that endl have with an annular ratchet d2 in thebase A. On 95 45 also increased the general efficiency of ,said thisdisk there are idle-gears e, which mesh capstans, as when heavy loweringservice is with the gear c, and also mesh with an into be performed.ternal gear f, integral with or secured to the For relieving a linefouled as described a lower end of the capstan-barrel C, thisbeingprompt slackening or uncoiling thereof, is esrotatable on upper andlower vbearings proroo 5o sential, and although this is practicable withvided therefor on the sleeve b and a hub of some forms of capstans noneof the particuthe gear c. These parts thus described are so organizedthat when the capstan-head is rotated, as indicated by the arrow gthereon, the barrel C will be driven in the opposite direction, asindicated by the arrow g', and at lesser speed, the disk d in the basethen being held against rotation by its pawl and ratchet d d2, theapparatus thus operating as a power-capstan. The barrel C atits base isprovided with the usual strain-distributing pawls h for engaging withteeth in an annular ratchet at 7L on top of the base A.

Inside of the head B there are one or more vertically-sliding pawls if,having beveled lower ends, which engage at their front faces with thevertical faces of the teeth of an annular horizontal ratchet 1l in thetop of the barrel C, so that when the head is rotated in the directionof the arrow la thereon the barrel C will be rotated at the same speedand in the same direction as before, as indicated by the arrow g', theapparatus then operating as asimple capst-an` the disk d then rotatingwith the barrel and the head, the pawl d on the disk d and pawl 7L onthe barrel then freely riding' the inclines of their respectiveratchets, and thus operatinr substantially as heretofore.

It will be seen that even if the pawls h on the barrel were thrownbackward and released from their ratchet, the barrel could not rotatebackwardly, because of the abutment of the face of the next engagingteeth of the ratchet 'i' against the face of the pawl t' in thecapstan-head, coupled with a corresponding but opposing abutment of theface of the pawl d against the next engaging tooth of the ratchet d2 atthe base of the capstan, it being obvious that said disk will be blockedby its pawl whether the gear c be rotated to drive the barrel or thebarrel, as now provided for by me, rotated backwardly as if to drive thegear c, which is non-rotative except with the sleeve and the head, and,as the latter, as stated, is blocked by the pawl t', the barrel isabsolutely locked against backward rotation, the pawls h, when used atall, serving merely to better distribute the working strains to whichthe capstan is subjected in service.

I have now provided for the prompt rearward rotation of the barrel aswhen induced by the strain of a hawser coiled thereon.

It will be observed that the ratchet t" of the capstan shown in Fig. lis located in the plane of the junction of the head and barrel, and thatadjacent interior space is afforded for the introduction of apawl-controllerD in the forni of a lever, internally pivoted at Zto thehead B, so as to swing horizontally, so that its outer end projectsbeyond the outer surface of the rim of the head to serve as a handle. Asshown in Fig. G, this lever has one edge beveled for properly engagingwith the beveled lower end of the pawl t' when the lever is swung inthat direction, thus readily lifting the pawl and supporting it in itselevated and inoperative position. In its best form the pawl-controllinglever is sufficiently flexible and resilient to enable it to operatewith a spring action, so that it may be firmly secured in either of itstwo positions by means of the lug l', which occupies V-shaped notches Z2in the overlying portion of the head. In the event of a line on thebarrel becoming fouled, a sufficient strain is applied to the head forreleasing the pawl from contact with an engaging tooth f the ratchet,the pawls h thrown backward, and the pawl t' is then lifted and held bythe lever, whereupon the strain on the line will rotate the barrelbackwardly, as indicated by the arrow k', while under full control ofthe then reversely-driven head, said head then rotating with itscapstan-bars, as indicated by arrow k, until sufficient slack isafforded to enable a rearrangement of the line on the barrel, andthenstrain on theline can be at once applied and the regular work ing ofthe capstan resumed withoutreadjusting the head-pawl or any requirementfor any immediate readjustment of any other portion of the capstan.

\Vith some of these capstans the verticallysliding pawl projects too farbelow the junction of the head and barrel to enable the use of ahorizontally-swinging lever arranged to engage with the lower end ot thepawll-as, for instance, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, wherein the upperportion of the capstan of the hereinbefore-mentioned Letters Patent No.351,2-Ll, October 19, 1886, is shown with my improvement appliedthereto. In this instance the vertically-sliding pawl i3 and the ratcheti4 are as shown in said patent; but the socket for this pawl in suchprior capstans was closed at its upper end, and the internal gearing isso located as to afford no space for a lever-lifter operating below thepawl, as before described. For rendering the pawl i3 accessible for mypurposes the pawlsocket is converted into an open-topped slot, and thepawl-controller D2 is located in the upper portion of the head, wherethere is ainple space to receive it. This pawl-con troller D2 issubstantially the same as before described; but it is pivoted to theinterior surface of the head, so as to properly engage with the pawl i3,which, as clearlyindicated in Fig. 8, is recessed and beveled at oneside near its upper end, so that the controller or lifter engagestherewith substantially as with the lower end of the pawl previouslydescribed. It will be seen that by providing for the control of thesehead-pawls in accordance with my invention these forms of capstans aremade susceptible oi' a novel mode of operation, whereby valuable resultscan and do accrue from their use not only with respect to substantialeconomy in lines and hawsers liable to involve the safety of ships, butalso in connection with prompt and safe lowering of heavy loads afterthey have been hoisted by the capstan.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to securebyLetters Patentl. The combination, in a capstan, of a sta- ICO IIO

tionary central spindle, an indirectly-geared head and barrel rotatablearound said spindle in opposite directions and at different speeds,aratchet and a vertically-sliding pawl at the junction of the head andbarrel directly coupling them together for rotation in the samedirection and at the same speed, said pawl being beyeled at its lowerend to permit it to ride freely over`the ratchet When the head isrotated in the opposite direction, and a laterally-vibrating lever forlifting and supporting said paWl and rendering it Wholly inoperative,substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a capstan, of a ratchet on top of the barrel, aVertical1y-slid ing pawl carried over said ratchet by the head of thecapstan and beveled at its lower end, and a laterally-movablespring-acting lever pivoted at its inner end to said head, radiallyprojecting therefrom for vlifting said pawl from the ratchet, and havinga retaining-lug for maintaining said lever securely in position Whilesupporting the pawl in its inoperative position, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof l affix my signature in 2 5 HARRISON S. BUFFUM.

